What are Digital Nomads?

Written by: Victoria Lim - Reading time: 6 minutes

As we live in the era of constant technological innovations and numerous advancements, the emergence of completely new professions shouldn’t surprise us at all. Let’s take digital nomads as an example – the majority of people aren’t really sure what their role is exactly, which is why their job is often misunderstood and underestimated. But what are digital nomads and what makes them so unique?

What are digital nomads actually?

Digital nomads are basically people who earn their living by working online, while being able to travel constantly and change their location quite often. These people have mastered the art of combining work and travel by accomplishing a balance between their online and offline lives. Digital nomads often work from coffee shops, public libraries, and co-working spaces, which is exactly what makes their lifestyle so specific.

What are the main characteristics of a nomadic lifestyle?

Switching from one place to another

First of all, digital nomads change their location and switch from one place to another, which is exactly what’s typical of this specific lifestyle. Of course, most nomads actually have a particular place they can call home, like a place where their family is located, but the truth is that they won’t spend more than a couple of months a year there. Nomads also aren’t willing to find a new home either – instead, they believe that ‘change is home’, which perfectly depicts their attitude and thoughts about life in general

Nomads usually avoid attachments

This is true both when it comes to people and things, since nomads are often perceived as people who avoid attachments simply because that would tie them to a specific location. Basically, anything that keeps you away from realising a nomadic life should be completely avoided, including unnecessary belongings, excessive stuff you probably don’t even need, and relationships with people who hold you down. Making a decision to break up with someone definitely isn’t easy, but it’s sometimes more than necessary – especially when we’re talking about toxic people who don’t appreciate you like they should. On the other hand, cutting down on the belongings you don’t need any longer is way easier – you can either leave them at your parents’ house, or maybe opt for professional storage services. No matter which option you pick, you can be sure that your stuff will be safe until you decide to return.

Traveling light is an absolute must

Nomads know that a minimalist lifestyle is imperative, which is exactly why they always give their best to travel as light as they can. Dragging a couple of suitcases full of unnecessary stuff that can only slow them down is a huge no, which means that you can usually spot a nomad only with a backpack and (maybe) just one bag with bare essentials. These people know that their ultimate goal should be experiencing life first-hand, instead of collecting a bunch of souvenirs and other irrelevant stuff.

Socialising with other digital nomads

One thing that digital nomads can often experience is the lack of social life, but there certainly are ways to successfully deal with this issue. First of all, more and more of them are choosing global locations that are known as digital nomad hubs. These places have already reached a critical mass of digital nomads, and what’s more important, you can easily connect and socialise with those people, which is a huge thumbs up for communities like this.

What are the main challenges of a nomadic lifestyle?

Staying focused no matter what

Since digital nomads are dedicated to traveling and changing their location frequently, keeping focus can sometimes be a bit problematic. Having to miss some exciting activities and exploring new destinations can be really frustrating, especially when you know that there’s work that needs to be done as soon as possible. Of course, stunning beaches and crystal clear waters of some exotic destination are the first things you want to check out, but remember that those who work hard can play hard later on. The key to a successful and fulfilled life lies in a perfect balance between your online life and offline life, so always bear that in mind and you won’t face any major problems.

Sticking to a career that perfectly fits the real vision of your life

Everyone knows that striving for perfection probably isn’t the smartest thing anyone can do, but many people are doing their best to find a career that fits the life they actually want to live. That’s exactly why proper organisation and sticking to a plan should be your top priority, so that you can feel happy, fulfilled, and completely satisfied with your lifestyle. For example, you can make a decision to work online for a couple of months, and to travel all across the globe in the next couple of months after that. Dedicated and persistent people who can distinguish between what’s good and what’s bad for them are likely to succeed in anything they do, and that’s exactly one of the main characteristics of digital nomads. Just make sure you carefully plan on the time you’re going to spend online, since that’s a basis for a successful career and staying focused.

As you can see, the overall lifestyle of digital nomads is more than authentic and therefore so specific, since not many people can decide to leave everything behind and start a completely new life. However, those who are ready to take that step claim that it’s completely worth all the effort. So, if you aren’t really sure what’s true and what isn’t, give the nomadic lifestyle a try and experience it first-hand!

Author: Victoria is a lifestyle writer with expertise in scribbling a lot of unnecessary words, walking a dog for miles and miles, getting bites from her pet squirrel and choosing tea for her next cup. You could at least say that she’s an avid tea-drinker.

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4 thoughts on “What are Digital Nomads?”

Doing what we want to do instead of what we have to do is more worthwhile. Life is too short and if we don’t enjoy it, then it’s all vanity. There are several way to find a living and if we do what we really want to do and make it a living, then our lives will surely be happy.

Being a digital nomad is some kind of living with no boundaries. Hence you can do want you want wherever you want without someone telling you to do what they want.

Having in control of your own time is what I find best about being a digital nomad. Making your hobby as your source of income is the best fulfillment in working life. Making yourself as a boss is really a good feeling. But the trade-off with this is that you have a firm self-discipline of yourself or else you will not succeed as a digital nomad. This is also the envy of the people from cubicle nation where they have to spend eight or more hours day juggling their best to finish their assigned tasks. A digital nomad is not like this, they were the ones to set the deadline of their tasks, so it is less stress.

The life as a Digital Nomad, with modern technology it is a great idea. The limitless life of DNs attract few travel enthusiasts, thanks to the forums it starts increasing.
As you said, the main challenge is focussing on an earning method while traveling. The discussion was quite impressive.